The 4K TV has four times the number of pixels -- 3,840x2,160 -- as a regular HD TV. The 4K label, a bit of a loose term meaning 4,000, refers to number of pixels across the width. Sony is pushing hard to move the industry to 4K video, hoping for a new upgrade cycle such as the one that occurred when people replaced bulky CRT TVs with today's flat-panel models.

The price of Sony's massive XBR-84X900 obviously will deter ordinary buyers, but prices should drop over time as they have with HD, 3D, and flat-panel TVs in recent years.

One hurdle for Sony to overcome: there's barely any video available that's shot in 4K, though there's a 4K YouTube channel, some movies and movie theaters are making the shift, and Sony's TV can upscale traditional 1,920x1080 HD video to 4K. Another hurdle: 4K resolution is too high to perceive unless you're sitting very close to the screen, by some measurements.

The XBR-84X900 is a passive 3D TV, meaning that watching 3D requires only polarized-light glasses that don't require batteries or synchronization with the TV itself.

It's also got a 10-driver stereo speaker system mounted along the edges of the screen. The screen itself is an edge-lit LED-based LCD. Sony uncloaked the huge Bravia model at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin.

Updated at 7:52 a.m. PTto correct the price per pixel of the TV: 0.3 cents each.

About the author

Stephen Shankland has been a reporter at CNET since 1998 and covers browsers, Web development, digital photography and new technology. In the past he has been CNET's beat reporter for Google, Yahoo, Linux, open-source software, servers and supercomputers. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces.
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